Porto Barcelona Day 24 - Third Day in Barcelona

Visiting another market near to Primavera Hostel and it's known as Mercat La Concepcio. It is clean probably the cleanest so far and selling produce such as fish, meat, vegetables, meat, bakeries and food stalls. Not forgetting flowers and plants at the rear of the market as seen in this picture. What a way to start the morning.  GPS : 41.396369, 2.168265

Next stop was Brompton Junction Barcelona and we were glad to meet Oscar Alcaraz Capdevila who happened to be outside the shop when we arrived. He gave us a warm welcome and show us around the shop. Located at Carrer de la Diputació, GPS : 41.384410, 2.159191.

I love the interior decor of this junction.

Some of the snaps captured during our visit such as a spa corner for the bikes, the mechanic's section, tattoo of a loyal customer we met and bottles making the word Brompton.

The only Brompton owner in Barcelona who hailed to us on the road at the oppisite and guess what moment later we met him at Brompton Junction shop, he is surely a friendly chap.

Truly a club house for Brompton owners with super friendly staff and making you feel at home.

They even have a pool table.

Our next target was the magic fountain of Barcelona and with the help of Google Map we steered our way there.

One has to be careful of the bicycle traffic lights at  the many junctions.

Without much hassle we found Plaça d'Espanya, one of Barcelona's most important squares. It was built on the occasion of the 1929 International Exhibition, held at the foot of Montjuïc in the Sants-Montjuïc district. Next to it is the red circular building known as Arenas de Barcelona.

Arenas de Barcelona was formerly a bull ring, it was converted in a commercial centre in 2011. On top of the arena roof is a viewing platform where one can enjoy a wide view of the city.

The Magic Fountain of Montjuïc is a fountain located at in front of  the National Palace on the hill of Montjuïc.

The twin red bricks towers with pointed copper roofs is Venetian Towers which are merely an ornamental structure marking the grand entrance into the area.

The magic fountain of Montjuïc's  built and ready on May 19, 1929 for the the Great Universal Exhibition. The designer Carles Buigas submitted his plans one year before the exhibition and many thought that the project was too ambitious to be constructed in a short time. Over 3000 workers were involved in the construction and within less than 1 year the magic fountain was created. One should visit it during the night for its magical atmosphere and performance.

Among the many features are the Four Columns which symbolises the four stripes of the Catalan Senyera (banners) as seen in the Catalonian flag.

There are at least 2 flights of escalators ascending to the top of the hill where MNAC museum is sited. And thank goodness for that making it easy for us with our bikes.

Bit by bit we ascended and the view got better as we went up higher.

Eventually we reached to the top and spending some time enjoying the lovely scenery and view.

National Art Museum of Catalonia MNAC is the national museum of Catalan. The museum is popular for its outstanding collection of Romanesque church paintings, Catalan art and design from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The museum is housed within the National Palace since 1934.

At the rear of the National Palace or rather the museum.

The historical stadium that hosted 1992 Olympics is also found up in the hill, now it is used as a multipurpose venue for big concerts and events. Locally they called it Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.

The Montjuïc Communications Tower, popularly known as Torre Calatrava or Torre Telefónica, is a telecommunication tower in the Montjuïc. It was designed by Santiago Calatrava and constructed in 1989 and completed in 1992. One of the prominent landmark built for 1992 Olympics. The height of the tower is 136 metres. Located in front of the Olympic Stadium GPS : 41.364310, 2.150746

Adios Estadi Olimpic !

As we were leaving the stadium coming by the rear of the building we saw an opening into the stadium. Suddenly I could feel and imagine the moment of the grand Olympics opening in this stadium as I remembered watching it the live telecast back home in 1992.

One more shot at the stadium where i did not have the opportunity to visit in 1992 but was able to made in 2020.

The Juan Antonio Samaranch Olympic and Sports Museum opened in 2007 at the Olympic Ring. The museum is located in front of the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium.

The Montjuïc Funicular is a funicular railway with a line connecting Barcelona Metro Paral·lel station with the hill of Montjuïc.

Stopping by a food outlet known as Moritz for a pit stop. It is part of Piscina Municipal de Montjuïc which is also a sports venue situated within the Olympic Ring. 

The venue consists of two swimming pools: one for diving and a 25m outdoor pool. It hosted the diving events and the water polo preliminaries for the 1992 Summer Olympics. GPS :41.369069, 2.165424

The last place up the hill we visited was Parc del Mirador del Poble Sec, it is a tranquil park at the top of the hill with beautiful landscape and an awesome view of the city. GPS : 41.371839, 2.171734

A picture of the spectacular view from Parc del Mirador del Poble Sec overseeing the city port before we descend our ride slowly towards the port.

We were told by Brompton Junction Barcelona that there are approximately 30,000 Brompton bicycles in Barcelona more than the shared bikes found in the city. Seeing a Brompton on the street is like seeing another Toyota on the road.

The ladies were happy to be back on the bicycle lanes as we were approaching the port.

At a round about we encountered the Waves (Onades) brain child of Andreu Alfaro. These waves extend a welcome and bid farewell to those arriving in or leaving the city by sea. The undulating abstract slender steel tubes evoke images of waves crashing and bubbling on Barcelona's beaches. GPS : 41.373558, 2.176910

Once again we were back to the city port for more in-depth sight seeing.

The many private yachts docking at the marina.

One of the most interesting and enigmatic sculptures at the port is The Couple (La Parella) by Chilean artist Lautaro Díaz Silva. Installed in 1998 the partially abstract figurative statue portrays a couple sat contemplating the boats in the harbour. The slender figures have no arms, a characteristic of Díaz’s statues which is a nod to the artist’s love for classic Greek and Roman sculptures. Located at Moll de Bosch i Alsina GPS : 41.378205, 2.181179

I was attracted by this classic looking yacht docked at Port Vell marina.

Petty traders are commonly seen peddling all kind of items by the beach trying to make a living in the city of Barcelona.

There were a number of ardent surfers busy enjoying themselves. The beach is popular for surfing always crowded whenever there are waves.

There are at least 4 main golden sandy beaches of about 4.2 km long and only 10 minutes from the city centre. Barceloneta is the first of the Barcelona beaches and can quite busy during the summer months.

Fitness center with a roof on the beach with people relaxing on the fixed lazy chairs on a beautiful breezy evening. GPS : 41.391618, 2.204464

We were having fun rolling ourselves along beach up an down on proper lanes for bicycles.

Sometimes you’ve just got to bike along the waterfront, it’s the flat and easy to explore the surrounding. It's all shown in the face.

This statue stands of Joan Prim i Prats, a Spanish soldier, politician and briefly Prime Minister of Spain for 6 months until his assassination. He is known for his leadership in the First Carlist War, the office of Captain General of Puerto Rico and for siding with the liberals against an increasingly authoritarian and conservative government. GPS : 41.386368, 2.186806

Within the same proximity we found ourselves at the entrance of Barcelona Zoo.

Riding through the park, The Parc de la Ciutadella connecting the Zoo to The Rius and Taulet monument. 

Out of the park with two statues standing majestically in front of Passeig de Pujades.

Across the road on the way to Arco de Trinunfo de Barcelona at Sant Pere, GPS : 41.389065, 2.183250

A straight road as we pedalled towards Arco de Triunfo de Barcelona as it gets bigger and bigger.

The Arc de Triomf or Arco de Triunfo in Spanish, is a triumphal arch. It was built by architect Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas as the main access gate for the 1888 Barcelona World Fair.

The traffic remained relax and easy while we were headed back to the hostel.

My last shot for the day at Plaza de Tetuán which is in Fort Pienc, in the central district of Eixample, at the busy intersection of Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes and Passeig de Sant Joan. The monument is named after the siege and occupation of the Moroccan city of Tetuan by General Joan Prim and Catalan volunteers. It was formerly called Hermenegildo Giner de los Ríos. Primavera Hostel is less than 1km away and that was our adventure for Day 24.